Help !! Need a Defensive Fielding/Throwing Drill ASAP

[CycloneSoftball22]

For some reason , most of my players are fielding ground balls , but then not following through their throws to first. They tend to stand straight up and then "admire" their throws (which arent good right now). How do I get them to continue through the play? Any good drills would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bobbyb]

Doesn't that one drive you crazy?

How about this.
Try rapid drills, you toss grounders from about 10 feet away....have her do both step and throw...and drop and throw. Make her do it till she does a few right in a row... Go to next person. She will get tired of being the one that is taking so long to get it and you will probably see the amount of balls she has to take go down before she does a few correctly in a row. If she doesn't...take her to the side and teach her what she is doing wrong cause she isn't mentally getting it. Just a suggestion.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

See Howard Kobata's DVD's. They are well worth the money. Softballskills.com | Softball Skills Clinic - Softball Skills Video

 

[Mike]

I second, third, and fourth what Amy said. Spend $50 dollars less on your next bat and buy his dvd's.

 

[starsnuffer]

We do this drill progression every single practice. Looks like it will help.



-W

 

[RookKev]

I saw a drill in a Cal Ripken video.
Set up 3 cones an appropriate distance apart in a straight line in the infield, in the ss position. The first cone is your start position. The second cone is the fielding area. The third cone is the throwing area. This teaches the player to charge the ball, field it, and shuffle step to the throw...you could add another cone to exaggerate the follow through you are seeking. Not sure if this will help, but, you can always try.

 

[CoachAl]

i will 2nd starsnuffer's comment...those infield drills are great and they are adaptable to any age group. we do them (or a version of them) in most every practice we have and i have seen big improvements from our players in both speed, ease of making the play and confidence. plus, the entire team does these together which is a huge bonus. i'm a fan of station work for certain skills too, but anytime you can get your entire team moving and getting lots of reps like in these drills it works wonders!

 

[rowdy]

We have a drill we do during our spring training that is a pretty good throwing drill if you have a player with decent mechanics. We have three groups of three players, one who feeds the fielder, the fielder, and then the person across the infield catching the throw.

We have each group throw a bucket of 15 balls from a line about 10 feet behind the baseline between second and third, the reciever in this drill is about the same distance behind the first base line. The fielders all face toward third base so the shoulders are already lined up to the target. The feeders go as fast as the fielders can keep up. We measure how fast they can complete the drill with a stop watch and also measure how many throws were not quality (not catchable). We have one line do backhand, one straight on and one to the glove side.

It is a very difficult drill so make sure you have girls who are warmed up prior to attempting this drill. The outcome is an increase in arm strength and a quicker release. This drill will take about 15 minutes to complete.

 

[Steve Huff]

I saw a drill in a Cal Ripken video.
Set up 3 cones an appropriate distance apart in a straight line in the infield, in the ss position. The first cone is your start position. The second cone is the fielding area. The third cone is the throwing area. This teaches the player to charge the ball, field it, and shuffle step to the throw...you could add another cone to exaggerate the follow through you are seeking. Not sure if this will help, but, you can always try.

Yes it could, and you can add another cone, for them to follow their throw around. You can create continuation after the release and have them go from throw to follow through footwork around the cone to return to the back of the line. I use such drills in fielding and pitching. They just focus on that physical cue.

I watched the video starsnuffer offered and it is an excellent idea. The "rake" drill takes some time and not all age groups can do it. The coach needs as much practice as the players to get the short-hop toss down. But the drills keep things flowing. Again, you can use a bucket in strategic places to use as a visual cue to keep the girls moving around the object, following their throws! No stopping!

Amy and Mike mentioned Howard Kobata: I went to youtube and watched his videos. I had never heard of him. I've been out of the loop too long. I must say I was impressed with his video info more than most DI coaches I have seen coach these skills. he covers details like the knees "knocked" or buckled in toward each other. One of my peeves is a first step with the foot closest to the ball. The first step should be a cross-over, and that is why he teaches this. The back-hand information is perfect also. I think his videos are one of the best investments I have seen.

 

[Mike]

One of my peeves is a first step with the foot closest to the ball. The first step should be a cross-over, and that is why he teaches this. The back-hand information is perfect also. I think his videos are one of the best investments I have seen.

I must have missed this. Could you please elaborate a bit?

Thanks